| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| nitere |
Posted - Aug 12 2008 : 04:57:33 AM
just wondered how many of us homeschool moms are here at the farm. this is my first year and my son is in kindergarten. we had our first day yesterday. i am using some curriculum, but also incorporating many of charlotte mason's methods. how about you?
farmgirl sister #37
http://www.buraellen.blogspot.com |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| MissDana |
Posted - Oct 15 2008 : 4:23:44 PM
Hens at Home henhouse is up and ready for hens on the Sisterhood site!
If you are already a Sisterhood member, email me your Sisterhood number and screen name and I'll let Sunny know and you'll get an email to join! Or you can email Sunny directly at sunny@maryjanesfarm.org and ask to join Hens at Home.
I hope to have wacky monthly info and ideas to celebrate, books for schooling and personal escape, virtual field trips with our own "Flat Stanley's", teacher appreciation days, recipes for play and table and anything else you can think of to do.
Come on over and join me!
Dana
Proud Farmgirl Sister # 267
www.schultztroupe.wordpress.com |
| MissDana |
Posted - Oct 10 2008 : 06:28:16 AM
Tara, I feel vitamins support the body while hormones surge! The Omega's I find at Walmart combined. I think it's called Flax,Fish and Borage Oil. the capsule is the size of a small car! We take one. The calcium, also at Walmart, is called Cal Mag Zinc. A multi and the St. John's Wort, also at Walmart. The calcium and omegas were recommended to me to steady my active girl. It also aids in sleep. The St. John's Wort is a herbal mood lifter. My older daughter's pediatrician suggested she start St. John's Wort when she was stressing and being dramatic over EVERYTHING! It takes a week or so before noticeable difference can be seen, but she and my 14 year old felt the difference sooner. I take it as well! It's our happy pill! There is info on the web and I just know it works for us. My husband will make a trip to the store if we run out....self preservation!! I also keep meat out of our diet during the hormone phase or use organic. I don't think adding hormones through our diet is helpful! I can say I lived through my son's teenage years (homeschooling and all!) and more importantly HE lived through his teen years! : ) His big rebellion was eating meat. He hated eating vegetarian and would sneak off to Subway and buy an all meat sub! I secretly didn't care but he needed something to rebel against...it might as well be vegetarianism! Of course he is 26, on his own and eats a meatless diet! He is too cheap to buy it!!
Proud Farmgirl Sister # 267
www.schultztroupe.wordpress.com |
| FannyMay |
Posted - Oct 09 2008 : 9:29:00 PM
VITAMINS! I have never heard of vitamins helping with the hormonal problems. I could use some help in that department myself. What does each one supposed to do? Is the omega 3, 6,9 three seperate pills? We have never been one to take a lot of medicines so I have never given a lot of vitamins. We have been fortunate to be very healthy. My 11 year old son got his first ear infection yearbefore last and it had been several years before that since he had been. We did though get the flu last year, but by the time I figured out what it was is was to late to get any medicine. We just had to ride it out. We are going to get the Flu shot this year though. I do not plan to repeat that from last year. I thought I was going to die. I have never been so sick. I amost died after my son was born and that was not as bad as that stuff we had last year. The test came back that it was not the flu, if we did not have the flu then I sure would die if i got it.LOL The Good Lord has blessed our family with good health so far.Well I am just getting started with all of this. We are crazy for even thinking of having another baby. I would love to have another one, but everyone says NO NO NO. We still have not made up our mind. Thanks for the advice!
There is no other life for me, but farm life. |
| MissDana |
Posted - Oct 09 2008 : 05:58:48 AM
Ah yes, it all sound familiar! My poor husband has raging hormones surrounding him - 14 and 51 year olds! I'll tell you what I do. I give her an arsenal of vitamins! Omega 3,6,9 as well as calcium with magnesium and zinc. Then there is the multi vitamin and 2 St. John's Wort. She doesn't like taking them, but notices the difference and so does it anyway! My vitamin selection is even bigger with Ginkgo biloba, biotin and my blood pressure meds! I do think my sons hormonal awakening was far worse! How did my poor house survive his stomping and slamming of doors! We didn't let any of our kids get their drivers license until 18. That way the hormonal rages did not include jumping into a car and speeding off. In our house it was jumping on the mountain bike and speeding off!! Ah, good times. ; ) Glad I'm down to just one at home now!
Dana
Proud Farmgirl Sister # 267
www.schultztroupe.wordpress.com |
| FannyMay |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 8:31:52 PM
Thank you Dana and Ruth for the encouragment. Now tell me how I can handle a 13 year olds raging hormones!LOL. I don't remember being this bad when I was younger. She can be happy one minute and about to bite my head off another. Sometimes I look at her and think who is this child this is not the same child I brought home from the hospital who just loved everyone and always wanted a hug. She does not even want me coming anywhere near here mutch less God forbid HUG her.She does not want to do ANYTHING lately. She just wants to do nothing at all and I can not stand it.
There is no other life for me, but farm life. |
| homemom |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 12:54:30 PM
Tara,
I agree with Dana. Your son will see how important he is to you. It will take some time but you will work through these difficult steps. As you work with him and show him that you have confidence in him he will begin to see it to. He just needs some good love and encouragement. I 'm sure that will be any easy recipe to fill.
Blessings,
Ruth
Living the farm life in my heart.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Ruth
http://farmgirlinmyheart.blogspot.com/ |
| MissDana |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 09:41:07 AM
Tara, the beautiful thing about homeschooling is your dear son will realize that you all love and care for him so much that you chose home schooling. How great is that? His mom and dad would pull him out of a bad situation and trust that he can thrive in his own way and in his own time! Maybe just allowing him to be helpful at home during the day and feeling valuable will give him the foundation to then tackle the "hard" stuff and not feel like a victim. Isn't it a shame that school can be so harmful to so many kids? Where I live, we have the best schools in the state and the best test scores in the nation and yet I didn't think my youngest would survive a high school with 3,500 students! She was bullied by girls in 4th grade about being a geek and 5th grade never really recovered. She is a science and math wiz but was physically bullied by these kids! I couldn't put her in a middle school with 1,600 kids! She was so relieved when we made the decision to home school. It was a right decision for her, I'm just sorry I didn't listen to my gut back in 4th grade!
Proud Farmgirl Sister # 267
www.schultztroupe.wordpress.com |
| FannyMay |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 07:41:35 AM
Thank you Dana for the encouragment. I can use all that I can get. I had never heard of the "for every month that they were in public school let them have a month off". It makes since to me! They don't think that learning is at all fun and balk at it actualy. I have not pushed them very hard yet. My 11 year old is so far behind that it is going to take some time to get him caught up, so far we have just been working on basics and not really any set curriculum. It was so sad that on the first day we started working, I gave him some basic subtraction problems to do and he had to regroup them. He sat there crying with big alligator tears saying he was just stupid, stupid, stupid. My heart literaly broke into that morning for my son. So, we have just been doing the basics getting him caught up and having more confidence in himself.
There is no other life for me, but farm life. |
| MissDana |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 06:49:50 AM
Hey Tara! I think most of us have felt like you one time or another. I know there is always a little flutter in the pit of my stomach and I have been doing this for 13 years! Someone once told me when first home schooling to allow your child to detox from public school one month for every year they were in school. When we pulled ours out of school, I had a 7th grader and a 2nd grader. We let Danny have 7 months - basically the first year home - with no schedule or "curriculum" except he had to read a book a week and other reading during the day. He had equated learning with school and HATED it! I didn't care if he read comic books, just read. I had a shelf of books for him to choose from that covered most genre's. He went at it begrudgingly but one day found Edgar Allen Poe and was hooked! My 2nd grader was happy to have workbooks for awhile as a transition. We did not allow computer games or TV except after dark and that helped. He eventually started a lawn care business that year and bought a $2000 bike. My point is to relax. The homeschooling police won't come and get you. : ) As for others... my mother was a constant negative voice and my husband initially worried. But as we moved forward into homeschooling we found the right curriculum for each and all is well. Danny is 26 owns a condo in the city and is a commercial photographer (shoots Paula Deen food, etc.) My daughter Eva is a junior in college and is in the top of her class. Who knew I could do that???? I didn't of course, they did! Now my 14 year old daughter is in her 4th year of homesdchooling. I felt we waited too long to pull her out, but a happy child learns and she is happy! I worry that I am too relaxed with this one but we'll see. Since college looms my worry level increases, but the other 2 found the best way for them and Ivey will also.
PS. I'm stuck at home with cabin fever as well due to the living on one income! Thank goodness for internet and MJF!!!
Dana
Proud Farmgirl Sister # 267
www.schultztroupe.wordpress.com |
| FannyMay |
Posted - Oct 07 2008 : 9:40:40 PM
Brenda, and Ruth thank you for your support and your prayers. I am desperate for them. This is in some ways harder and easier than what I expected. I was so worried about curriculum and schedule when we started and that has not been the trouble at all YET! I have just put together our own curriculum of different things and the schedule has kinda worked it's own self out. It is just the beating from others and the DD's rebelling and I am also feeling a little cabin feverish also. We are down to one vehicle and my husband has my truck to go to work in and so there fore I can not go any where. Iknow I can't anyway because of the homeschooling, but it is just taking some readjustments to get used to it. I know that all of this is worth it and I am at peace with our decision. I know that this is the right thing for our family. I just wish others could understand. I have lost my best friend over this and I am mourning the loss of that also, but my family comes first. Please remember me and my family in your prayers.
There is no other life for me, but farm life. |
| Homespun Livin |
Posted - Oct 06 2008 : 8:34:49 PM
Tara,
You are doing an AWESOME thing for your children. They may not understand or even appreciate it right now, but they will eventually come to thank you for your hard work and time that you are devoting to them. The beauty of homeschooling is that each child can learn at his/her own pace. Do you have a support group near you? That could be both helpful to you, your hubby and the kids. Do not give up!! The first year is tough, but it does get better. :) We are all here for you to support you and help in any way we can. Do not hesitate to ask for anything. I will keep your family in my prayers. :)
"Love one another." |
| NatureNymph |
Posted - Oct 06 2008 : 3:35:55 PM
We homeschool as well. This is our second year. My dd is in 3rd Grade and my ds is in kindergarten.
I love Charlotte Mason but I also use some not so charlotte Mason-y things like Saxon Math and others we've kind of meshed together.
I love hs'ing but there are days when I wish we didn't. I like solitude and find it hard to get time to myself to think and contemplate things...my kids love being around me and I like being around them it's just some days I need to be left alone with my thoughts. I started meditating and walking as a way to get my own quiet time. I hope it helps.
I'm glad there are others on here who understand the unique needs of the homeschooling family.
"Everybody likes to go their own way--to choose their own time and manner of devotion." Jane Austen, Mansfield Park |
| homemom |
Posted - Oct 06 2008 : 08:42:13 AM
Tara,
Hang in there. This is our 3rd year homeschooling. I have a son in 6th and a daughter in 9th. My son was also left behind and he had the same difficulties as your son. My daughter also had a hard time adjusting. We just keep working through it. It isn't easy but God will help you. We also had to leave our church shortly after we started homeschooling. They had a private school that my children attended and I taught at and we felt left out of everything once we weren't involved in the school anymore.
God will bless you for your faithfulness through this time.
Misty~We have used both the Noah Plan and Principle Approach. We enjoy it. I implement the same standards with the curriculumn we are using now.
Ruth
Living the farm life in my heart.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Ruth
http://farmgirlinmyheart.blogspot.com/ |
| hipmamato4 |
Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 06:04:07 AM
We love homeschooling! My degree is in Elementary and Early childhood Education, but I always knew I would hs my kids. They are 11,9,6, and 2. For the most part they like it too, but I am finding that it is REALLY difficult to give my older girls they social outlet that they need. We have friends who hs and are the same age, but my kids want GROUPS of girls to play with. We just started Girls Scouts which they loved on Wednesday at the first meeting so hopefully it will fill the void.
I used to extoll the benefits of hs over any benefit of public school, but now that I have been doing this for awhile, I am less likely to say that hs is ALWAYS better than brick and mortar school. There are benefits and drawbacks to both and my kids and I talk openly about that. I don't want them to go into the world thinking that they are "weird" homeschoolers or that they don't belong with the rest of their peers. So far it has worked great.
We are in Pa. so the law here is pretty tight, but since I have the degree I am actually "private home tutoring" and don't need to do anything other than provide the school with a letter at the beginning of the year and the end indicating my plans to school them. I make my own curriculum, but use the Core Knowledge Sequence (What your Fifth Grader Needs to Know) as a guide.
Homebirthing, home-schooling mama to 4 awesome kids, living an idyllic country life in Pennsylvania |
| FannyMay |
Posted - Oct 02 2008 : 7:34:08 PM
I am new to MJF. This is my first year to homeschool. I have an 8th grader, 5th grader and a 3 year old. I wanted to homeschool all along, but my husband did not want to. He wanted them to play basketball and do all the other things he did, but things just kept getting worse and worse and we just had to get them out. It has been such an adjustment for us all. MY 5ht grader is probably on a 2nd or 3rd grade reading level and has a hard time even counting money or telling time. He was just left behind. My daughter who doesn't want to be homeschooled, but does not want to go back to school either is having to make some adjustments and it has not been very pretty! I can tell you all one thing if we can just make it through this first year I will never put another child in public school. My husband says every day he wishes he would have listned to me 9 years ago and maybe we would not be going through all of this. Sometimes I feel very alone and very crazyy! We have had to leave our church that we have been members at since before I was born because of all of this also. I guess I am feeling a little overwhelmed and need to vent a little.
There is no other life for me, but farm life. |
| kmbrown |
Posted - Sep 29 2008 : 6:34:36 PM
So great to read all of these posts!! My little ones are not in school yet...3,2,4mos. but I was homeschooled all but two years and I fully intend on homeschooling mine when the time comes. I am planning on using the Noah Plan or the Principle approach. Anyone else use this? |
| cowgirlinthesand |
Posted - Sep 29 2008 : 5:54:59 PM
Another homeschooler here :) My boys are currently in 2nd and 4th and we use A Beka. I started them both in preschool and it went so well we have just kept going. I couldnt imagine it any other way! |
| Homespun Livin |
Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 8:51:49 PM
Hey Lea!!! Nice to meet you too. :) I bet TN is AWESOME this time of year.
"Love one another." |
| Homespun Livin |
Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 8:50:33 PM
Thanks Dana. That sounds great!
"Love one another." |
| farmgirl blessings |
Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 8:40:38 PM
Hi friends! We're a homeschooling family for 11 years now. Its been such a joy. EAch boy has required a different method. Our oldest was traditionally homeschooled, our 2nd son eclectic and our 3rd is being schooled using Charlotte Mason methods. It is so nice to be able to meet the individual needs of each child. So nice to meet you all.
Blessings, Lea
www.farmhouseblessings.blogspot.com
www.farmhouseblessings.etsy.com
|
| MissDana |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 1:16:25 PM
Brenda - We do not need to be Sisterhood members to have a regular hen house and a topic line here and a blog of our own.
Proud Farmgirl Sister # 267
www.schultztroupe.wordpress.com |
| Homespun Livin |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 1:04:59 PM
Dana: Will we need to be Sisterhood Members to partake? I am guessing yes, but just wanted to make sure. Thanks.
"Love one another." |
| MissDana |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 12:49:12 PM
Hey Ruth! I thought it would be fun to have our own MJF henhouse for homeschoolers and perhaps stay at home moms. I am not sure how to get an official henhouse on the Sisterhood site, but Hens At Home is official with Sunny at MJF. What do ya'll think about a blog site?
Dana
Proud Farmgirl Sister # 267
www.schultztroupe.wordpress.com |
| homemom |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 06:52:09 AM
I was wondering what the Hens at Home Henhouse is?
Ruth
Living the farm life in my heart.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Ruth
|
| levisgrammy |
Posted - Sep 04 2008 : 4:38:52 PM
I just wanted to let you know that since we are finished with our schooling years, everyone has graduated, I have some books and things. If you are looking for a particular book please let me know. I would be glad to pass things along to those who can use them.
Denise
farmgirl sister #43
"Take a lesson from the teakettle, though up to its
neck in hot water...it sings!"
www.torisgram.etsy.com |
